News

Revolution round table

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

John Ward Dunsmore's painting of General George Washington (left) and the Marquis de Lafayette at Valley Forge, during the winter of 1777.

Take heart American history buffs.

Melvin Bernstein, founder and moderator of the American Revolution Round Table (AART), will present "Keeping the Spirit of American Revolution Alive" 2 p.m. March 20 in the Alumni Room, Atwood Memorial Center. View the event flyer (PDF).

Bernstein will discuss AART's founding and offer advice on how Central Minnesotans might create a local chapter.

Round tables across the nation study the 1775-1783 revolution. Gatherings typically feature a guest speaker, such as an author, park ranger, battlefield preservationist, historian or reenactor.

Bernstein's round table is affiliated with the Minute Man National Historic Park in Concord, Mass. According to some historians, the revolution started April 19, 1775, when citizen-soldier colonists, called Minute Men, fired on British soldiers in nearby Lexington, Mass.

Read Bernstein's recent essay on the Worcester Revolt, an armed challenge to British civil authority that preceded Lexington and Concord by seven months.

Bernstein holds a bachelor's degree in economics from New York University, a law degree from Harvard University and a political science doctorate from University of California, Los Angeles.

The free, public presentation will be preceded by a 1:30 p.m. reception.